Fatty Liver And Diet

The liver is an incredible multitasker. You can think of this vital organ as a filter system. It helps your body get rid of toxins while also harvesting nutrients from the foods you eat.

What is Fatty Liver Disease?

In very simple words, having a fatty liver means you have extra fat in your liver this condition may be medically addressed as hepatic steatosis.

Most commonly heavy drinking makes you more likely to get it. Over time, too much alcohol leads to a buildup of fat inside your liver cells. This makes it harder for your liver to work.

But you can get a fatty liver disease even if you don’t drink a lot of alcohol

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

There are two different types of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease:

Simple fatty liver: This means you have fat in your liver, but you may not have any inflammation in your liver or damage to your liver cells. It usually doesn’t get worse or cause problems with your liver. Most people with NAFLD have simple fatty liver.

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH): This is much more serious than a simple fatty liver. NASH means you have inflammation in your liver. The inflammation and liver cell damage that happen with NASH can cause serious problems such as fibrosis and cirrhosis which are types of liver scarring, and liver cancer.

Alcohol-Related Fatty Liver Disease (ALD)

Alcoholic fatty liver disease is preventable. It usually gets better when you stop drinking alcohol. If you keep drinking, ALD can cause serious problems. These include:

• Enlarged Liver. It doesn’t always cause symptoms, but you may have pain or discomfort on the upper right side of your belly.
• Alcoholic Hepatitis. This is swelling in the liver that can cause fever, nausea vomiting, belly pain, and jaundice.
• Alcoholic cirrhosis. This is a buildup of scar tissue in your liver. It can cause the same symptoms as alcoholic hepatitis plus:
  • Large amounts of fluid buildup in your belly which is called ascites.
  •  High Blood Pressure in the liver
  • Bleeding in your body
  • Confusion and changes in behavior
  •  Enlarged Spleen
  •  the most fatal is Liver Failure.

As it is very evident, that Alcohol-Related Fatty Liver Disease (ALD) can be avoided by limiting or nullifying alcohol consumption.

This Nutrishilp blog will guide you to deal with the category of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

In a healthy body, the liver removes toxins and produces bile, a protein that breaks down fat into fatty acids so that they can be digested. The fatty liver disease damages the liver and prevents it from working as well as it should, but lifestyle changes can prevent it from getting worse.

The first line of treatment for NAFLD is weight loss, through a combination of calorie reduction, exercise, and healthy eating.

In general, the diet for the fatty liver disease includes:

• fruits and vegetables
• high-fiber plants like legumes and whole grains
• significantly reducing intake of certain foods and beverages including those high in added sugar, salt, refined carbohydrates, and saturated fat
• Of course no alcohol.

The amount of weight that you should lose to treat NAFLD will depend on the amount of excess body fat that you have. Team Nutrishilp can help you decide on an appropriate weight loss goal based on your overall health. A nutrient-dense, whole-food-based diet rich in fiber, protein, and unsaturated fats is generally recommended for those with NAFLD.

 

Foods to Help Fatty Liver Reversal

Healthy eating is one of the first lines of treatment for fatty liver disease.

Here are a few foods to include in your healthy liver diet:

1. Coffee to help lower abnormal liver enzymes

Your daily cup of coffee could help protect your liver against NAFLD.

Regular coffee consumption is associated with a lowered risk of developing NAFLD, as well as a decreased risk of the advancement of liver fibrosis in those already diagnosed with NAFLD.

Caffeine also appears to lower the number of abnormal liver enzymes in people at risk for liver diseases.

2. Greens to prevent fat buildup

Compounds found in leafy greens such as spinach may help fight fatty liver disease.

For instance, spinach specifically lowers the risk of NAFLD, due to the nitrate and distinct polyphenols found in the leafy green. The raw may serve the purpose more than cooked spinach because cooking spinach (and other leafy greens) may result in lowered polyphenolic content and antioxidant activity.

3. Beans and soy to reduce the risk of NAFLD

Both beans and soy have shown promise when it comes to reducing the risk of NAFLD. Legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, soybeans, and peas are not only nutritionally dense foods but also contain resistant starches that help improve gut health. Consumption of legumes may even help lower blood glucose and triglycerides in individuals living with obesity.

Also eating soy may help protect the liver, most likely because soy contains a high content of the protein β-conglycinin — noted for its ability to help lower triglyceride levels and possibly protect against visceral fat buildup.

Additionally, tofu is a low-fat food that serves as a good source of protein, making it an ideal choice if you’re trying to limit your fat consumption.

4. Fish to reduce inflammation and fat levels

Fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, tuna, and trout are high in omega-3 fatty acids suggesting that supplementing with omega-3s may benefit those with NAFLD by reducing liver fat, boosting protective HDL cholesterol, and lowering triglyceride levels.

5. Complex Carbohydrates

While your entire diet shouldn’t consist of carbohydrates, you do want to eat a balance of carbs, protein, and healthy fats.

Complex carbohydrates are better than simple carbs because they’re metabolized slower and prevent wide fluctuations in blood sugar. This is why it’s best for people with NAFLD to choose complex carbs over simple carbs. Unrefined carbs also have essential nutrients like zinc, B vitamins, and higher fiber levels, which are all important for a healthy liver and metabolism. The key is selecting whole-grain carbs, such as:

wild rice, whole wheat bread, pasta, brown rice, whole oats, rye, corn, and bulgur.

6. Fiber-rich diet

Whole-grain, fiber-rich foods like oatmeal are associated with a reduced risk of NAFLD-related diseases.

A nutritious diet rich in high-fiber foods like oats is effective for those with NAFLD and may help reduce triglyceride levels.

7. Nuts to help reduce inflammation

A diet rich in nuts is associated with reduced inflammation, insulin resistance, and oxidative stress and a lower prevalence of NAFLD.

8. Turmeric to reduce markers of liver damage

High doses of curcumin— the active ingredient in turmeric— might reduce markers of liver damage in people with NAFLD.

Turmeric may decrease levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) — two enzymes that are abnormally high in people with fatty liver disease.

9. Sunflower seeds for antioxidants

Sunflower seeds are particularly high in, vitamin E, an antioxidant used for (via supplementation) in the treatment of NAFLD.

While most research around NAFLD and vitamin E focuses on supplements, a 100-gram serving of sunflower seeds has about  20 milligrams of vitamin E, more than 100 percent of the  Daily Recommended Value. If you’re looking to increase your vitamin E consumption naturally, sunflower seeds are a good starting point.

10. Garlic to improve the overall health

This vegetable not only adds flavor to food, but small experimental studies also show that garlic powder may help reduce body weight and fat in people with fatty liver disease.

In addition to modifying your diet, here are a few other lifestyle changes you can make to improve your liver health:

1. Get active. Exercise, paired with diet, can help you lose weight and manage your liver disease. Aim to get at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise on most days of the week.
2. Lower blood lipid levels. Watch your saturated fat and sugar intake to help keep your cholesterol and triglyceride levels under control. If diet and exercise aren’t enough to lower your cholesterol, medical advice must be sought.
3. Control diabetes. Diabetes and fatty liver disease often occur together. Diet and exercise can help you manage both conditions. If your blood sugar is still high, your doctor can prescribe medication to lower it.

Knowing what not to do is as important as knowing what to do. Thus, Nutrishilp suggests a few foods that should be avoided –

If you have fatty liver disease

If you have fatty liver disease, your doctor may recommend avoiding certain foods or eating them sparingly. These foods generally contribute to weight gain and can increase blood sugar.

Avoid when possible

• Alcohol. Alcohol can be a major cause of fatty liver disease as well as other liver diseases.
• Added sugar. Stay away from sugary foods such as candy, cookies, sodas, and fruit juices. High blood sugar increases the amount of fat buildup in the liver.
• Fried foods. These are high in fat and calories.
• Added salt. Consuming too much salt can increase the risk of NAFLD. Limiting sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams per day is recommended. People who have high blood pressure should limit salt intake to no more than 1,500 mg per day
• White bread, rice, and pasta. White flour is typically highly processed, and items made from it can raise your blood sugar more than whole grains, due to a lack of fiber.
• Red meat. Beef and deli meats are high in saturated fat.

Takeaway

As a general rule, whole foods are best for your liver and the rest of your body. When it comes to adding foods to your diet, your doctor or a registered dietitian is your best resource for knowing the best foods for you.

Certain liver conditions may require a more specialized diet. In some cases, people with advanced liver disease may not be able to absorb the fats they eat and may have to limit oils and fatty fish.

Typically, it’s recommended for people with hemochromatosis to avoid consuming iron, while those with hepatitis C may need to limit their intake of iron and salt.

Your doctor or dietitian can tell you more about which foods to eat and which to avoid.

Nutrishilp advises you to contact your doctor if you lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time despite eating liver-friendly foods. This could mean that your liver isn’t processing nutrients effectively. In addition, Nutrishilp dietitians may also advise you about any changes you may need to make to your diet.

And as a last token of advice remembers, before making any big change to your diet, check with your doctor or a registered dietitian.

 

“Do not be deceived by the name, fatty liver is a disease that can happen to normal weight people also..not only to Fat ones.”

– Shilpi Goel, Nutritionist, and Dietician, founder of Nutrishilp

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